Symmetry Donor-Acceptor Molecule Regulating Hydrogen-Bonding Network for Improved Metal Zinc Anode.

The issues of zinc dendrites and side reactions caused by active water molecules have seriously affected the development of aqueous zinc batteries (AZBs). Herein, a symmetry hydrogen-bond donor-acceptor molecule additive named 1,3-bis(hydroxymethyl)urea (BHMU) can preferentially adsorb on the anode surface and lock up water molecules through hydrogen bonding, thus isolating water molecules and reducing side reactions caused by active water molecules. With these advantages, the mixed electrolyte containing BHMU additive impels a reversible Zn anode with a high Coulombic efficiency (99.

Platinum-group-metal quaternary alloys with lattice defects for enhanced oxygen electrocatalysis.

We propose a facile coreduction method to synthesize a platinum-group-metal quaternary alloy anchored on nitrogen-doped hollow carbon spheres (PtPdRuIr/HCS) by using [MCl]-1-butyl-3-methylimidazole (M = Pt, Pd, Ru, and Ir) ionic liquid. Owing to the steric hindrance of the imidazolium cations, Pt-group metal atoms of different sizes can be deposited at approximately the same pace for the growth of an alloy with lattice defects. The lattice-distorted PtPdRuIr/HCS exhibits enhanced activity toward oxygen electroreduction when benchmarked against Pt counterparts.

Functionalization of the Octahydro-Binaphthol Skeleton: A Universal Strategy for Directly Constructing D-A Type Axially Chiral Biphenyl Luminescent Molecules.

D-A type axially chiral biphenyl luminescent molecules are directly constructed through ingenious functionalization of the octahydro-binaphthol skeleton without optical resolution. The circularly polarized organic light-emitting diodes based on them display remarkable circularly polarized electroluminescence emission, a high luminance of >10 000 cd m, a maximum external quantum efficiency of 6.6%, and an extremely low-efficiency roll-off.

Rocking-chair proton battery based on a low-cost "water in salt" electrolyte.

A novel "water in salt" electrolyte is reported for the design of a rocking-chair proton battery. In 20 M ZnCl + 1 M HCl electrolyte, the electrochemical proton storage performance using MoO is significantly improved. When coupled with a Ni-PBA cathode, the device exhibits a good cycling stability of 76.

Chemically grafting nanoscale UIO-66 onto polypyrrole nanotubes for long-life lithium-sulfur batteries.

A versatile strategy for a facile approach to chemical graft MOFs onto polypyrrole nanotubes (PPyNTs@MOFs) is designed and fabricated rationally by means of 1,4-dibromobutane linkage. Various MOFs arranged randomly close-packed on PPyNTs, including Co, Cu, Zn, Mn, Fe, Al, Ti, Cr, Zr and V, have been synthesized successfully. The as-prepared PPyNT@UIO-66 hybrids, used as a cathode carrier, exhibit excellent cyclic stability in Li-S batteries via strong physical and chemical adsorption/affinity with polysulfides.

Development of β-elemene and Cisplatin Co-Loaded Liposomes for Effective Lung Cancer Therapy and Evaluation in Patient-Derived Tumor Xenografts.

Purpose: β-elemene and cisplatin combined chemotherapy currently is one of the most important settings available for lung cancer therapy in China. However, the clinical outcome is limited by their pharmacokinetic drawbacks. On the other hand, most of nanomedicines have failed in clinical development due to the huge differences between heterogeneous clinical tumor tissues and homogenous cell-derived xenografts.

Surface Reconstruction for Preparation of Plasmonic Au/TiO₂ Nanoparticle with Perfect Hetero Interface and Improved Photocatalytic Capacity.

The photocatalytic activity of plasmonic Au/TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) is dependent on distances between Au and TiO2. The preparation of plasmonic NPs is still a challenge because of an inherent lattice mismatch on heterogeneous interfaces. The combination between Au and TiO2 NPs often exhibits physical adsorption, which affect block the electron transferring process by photo-induction from TiO2 to Au NPs and weaken the photocatalytic activity.

Silsesquioxane stabilized platinum-palladium alloy nanoparticles with morphology evolution and enhanced electrocatalytic oxidation of formic acid.

Bimetallic catalysts have attracted enormous attention with their enhanced electrocatalytic properties in fuel cells. Herein a series of silsesquioxane (POSS) stabilized platinum-palladium (PtPd) alloy nanoparticles (NPs) with morphology evolution were facilely synthesized with the co-chemical reduction using formaldehyde as the reductant. By varying the ratio of Pt to Pd, the PtPd alloy NPs evolved from truncated octahedrons to octahedrons, and triangular nanoplates.

In Situ Integration of Ultrathin PtCu Nanowires with Reduced Graphene Oxide Nanosheets for Efficient Electrocatalytic Oxygen Reduction.

Ultrathin Pt-based nanowires are considered as promising electrocatalysts owing to their high atomic utilization efficiency and structural robustness. Moreover, integration of Pt-based nanowires with graphene oxide (GO) could further increase the electrocatalytic performance, yet remains challenging to date. Herein, for the first time we demonstrate the in situ synthesis of ultrathin PtCu nanowires grown over reduced GO (PtCu-NWs/rGO) by a one-pot hydrothermal approach with the aid of amine-terminated poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) (PNIPAM-NH ).

Rational synthesis of Ni nanoparticle-embedded porous graphitic carbon nanosheets with enhanced lithium storage properties.

Carbon-based materials have recently received increased attention as very promising anode materials for rechargeable lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) because of their non-toxicity, low cost, and excellent performances. Nanostructure engineering has been demonstrated as an effective approach to improve the electrochemical performance of electrode materials. Here, we present a facile and scalable synthesis of two-dimensional (2D) porous graphitic carbon nanosheets embedded by numerous homogeneously dispersed Ni nanoparticles.

In situ plasma sputtering synthesis of ZnO nanorods-Ag nanoparticles hybrids and their application in non-enzymatic hydrogen peroxide sensing.

In this paper, ZnO nanorods-Ag nanoparticles hybrids were first synthesized via a facile, rapid, and in situ plasma sputtering method without using any silver precursor. The obtained materials were then characterized by scanning electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, and cyclic voltammetry. Based on the electrochemical catalytic properties of the obtained nanohybrids, a non-enzymatic hydrogen peroxide biosensor was constructed by immobilizing the obtained ZnO nanorods-Ag nanoparticles hybrids on the surface of a glassy carbon electrode.

Interaction between Z-ligustilide from Radix Angelica sinensis and human serum albumin.

Z-ligustilide (LIG), an essential oil extract from Radix Angelica sinensis, has broad pharmaceutical applications in treating cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Interaction of LIG with the major transport protein of human blood circulation, human serum albumin (HSA) has been investigated by steady-state, UV-vis and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopic methods, as well as the effect of metal ions (e.g.

Binding of dihydromyricetin to human hemoglobin: fluorescence and circular dichroism studies.

The binding reaction between dihydromyricetin (DMY) and human hemoglobin (HHb) was investigated systematically with various spectroscopic methods including fluorescence quenching technique, ultraviolet (UV)-vis absorption, synchronous fluorescence, circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy. The experimental results showed that DMY effectively quenched the intrinsic fluorescence of HHb via static quenching. DMY binds to HHb with a stoichiometry that varies from 0.

Cathodic stripping synthesis and cytotoxity studies of glutathione-capped CdTe quantum dots.

A cathodic stripping of Te precursor in the presence of Cd2+ and biocompatible glutathione (GSH) was reported for facile synthesis of lowly cytotoxic and highly luminescent CdTe quantum dots (QDs) in aqueous solution. The photoluminescence, electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL), toxicity, and cyto-osmosis of the QDs were evaluated to reveal their potential bio-applications. The morphology and composition of as-prepared QDs were investigated by HRTEM and powder XRD spectroscopy, which indicated that the QDs consisted of a CdTe core coated with a CdS shell.

[The photological function of MPA coated CdTe QDs and their biocompatibility].

Aim: To investigate the CdTe quantum dots coated with MPA and explore its biocompatibility with living cells.

Methods: CdTe quantum dots coated with MPA were prepared in aqueous phase and MPA CdTe QDs were Characterized with TEM, fluorospectrophotometer and ultraviolet spectrophotometer. QDs were Modified with with avidin, purified and prepared as fluorescent probe.

Facile synthesis and application of highly luminescent CdTe quantum dots with an electrogenerated precursor.

An electrogenerated precursor has been developed for green synthesis of highly luminescent aqueous CdTe quantum dots (QDs) with unique quantum yield and strong electrogenerated luminescence, which can access cellular targets via specific binding and have potential application as biolabels in highly sensitive biosensing and cell imaging.

Glutaraldehyde-modified electrode for nonlabeling voltammetric detection of p16 INK4A gene.

A nonlabeling electrochemical detection method for analyzing the polymerase-chain-reaction-amplified sequence-specific p16 ( INK4A ) gene, in which the basis for the covalent immobilization of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) probe is described, has been developed. The self-assembly process was based on the covalent coupling of glutaraldehyde (GA) as an arm molecule onto an amino-functional surface. The p16 ( INK4A ) gene was used as the model target for the methylation detection of early cancer diagnosis.

Detection of methylation of human p16(Ink4a) gene 5'-CpG islands by electrochemical method coupled with linker-PCR.

Aberrant DNA methylation of the CpG site is among the earliest and most frequent alterations in cancer. Detection of promoter hypermethylation of cancer-related genes may be useful for cancer diagnosis or the detection of recurrence. p16, an inhibitor of the cyclin D-dependent protein kinases, is a classical tumor suppressor gene, and its inactivation is closely associated with carcinogenesis.

Electric potential control of DNA immobilization on gold electrode.

The assembly of synthetic, controllable molecules is one of the goals in nanotechnology. The primary objective of this contribution is to selectively immobilize DNA on gold via electric potential control. The self-assembly monolayer (SAM) was prepared with 2-aminoethanethiol (AET) on the gold electrode.